Electric cables generally consist of a conductive core (typically aluminum or copper) sometimes surrounded by insulating material. Electric cables generally can be divided into construction categories based on the type of voltage they are designed to carry. High voltages are generally those that are greater than about 50,000 volts; medium voltage are generally those that are between about 1000 volts and about 50,000 volts; and low voltage are those that are less than about 1000 volts.
In order to electrically connect two or more conductors, it is necessary to form a splice or junction between the conductors. Electrical splice connectors for connecting at least two conductors together are well known in the art. Conventional methods of splicing wires include compression and crimp style connectors. The butt-type splice is an example of a crimp style splice.
A butt-type wire connector is a splice that is used to connect wires to one another by butting their ends together inside the splice. In this type of wire connector, the wires are inserted from either end of the splice and butt against a built in wire stop. The connector is then crimped or bolted in two places, one for each wire, thus holding the wires in place. The disadvantage of this type of connector is that there is only one point of contact for electrical conduction. Additionally, there is only one point of mechanical contact thus allowing permitting the conductor to disengage from the connector.
The crimp style of splice has the disadvantage of not providing a secure mechanical connection and/or a poor electrical connection since the only contact points are at the site of the crimp or bolt. This method provides insufficient contact surface connection which affects both the mechanical and electrical connection.
An example of a compression type connector is the conventional method for splicing high voltage cable conductors. This method uses a hydraulic press which forms a compression joint to connect the ends of the conductors. This method is cumbersome, time intensive and expensive.
In light of the shortcomings of the prior art, what is needed is a new method of splicing two or more conductors together which has superior electrical conductivity, an enhanced mechanical connection, and is less expensive and less complicated than what is currently being used.